Miles' Pick

Bordeaux can often be thought of as overly buttoned-up and stagnant, but also unattainable for the truly fine examples. Closerie des Moussis represents a stunning rebuttal to that theory. Working out of a garage-sized cellar in the Haut-Médoc, two women—Laurence Alias and Pascale Choime—are quietly making some of the most playful, surprising wines on the Left Bank. This is authentic ‘Garagiste’ winemaking. Alias and Choime (plus their trusty plough horse Jumpa) do all the work themselves. They have farmed biodynamically since 2011, a rarity for the region, with only 1.5% of vineyards currently certified as such. The couple farms a rough total of just under 5 acres. Their largest site is located in Senejac within the Haut-Medoc, which produces this ‘Les Closeries’ cuvée.

Soils here are a sandy-gravel blend, well suited to produce a mineral-driven expression of Bordeaux. The site is mostly planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, though Cabernet Franc and Merlot are also present. The vines were planted 30-40 years ago and are farmed entirely by hand (and hoof). Interventions in the cellar are also kept to low levels. Fermentations always take place with native yeasts. Sulphur is added only in minimal levels, generally totaling around 25 mg/l. The wines are always unfined and often unfiltered.

Les Closeries is their love letter to the region: Cabernet-driven but with an unexpected softness, full of plums, mint, forest fruit, dry herbs, and just the right amount of wildness. It bucks another Bordeaux cliché, new French oak is limited to only 10% of the barrels it is aged in, producing left-bank Bordeaux at its purest expression.